CAPA and ACTE announce Australasia 2017 corporate travel conference schedule

Building on the success of their first combined corporate travel events in Australasia and the Asia Pacific in 2016, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) and CAPA – Centre for Aviation have announced a comprehensive conference programme for 2017.

Like the 2016 series, next year’s CAPA-ACTE events will be held in all the Australian state capitals and Auckland, allowing travel managers to participate without having to travel interstate. Over the past year, CAPA-ACTE Australasia Corporate Travel events have attracted almost 1,200 participants, of which 350 were corporate buyers. Over 300 industry professionals will attend the ACTE-CAPA Global Conference in November 2016 at the Sheraton on the Park, Sydney, to be headlined by ABC journalist, Tony Jones, and renowned economist Michael Pascoe.

The 2017 events will contain a unique mix of aviation strategic content and corporate travel insights. The 2017 schedule is as follows:

“ACTE and CAPA provide unparalleled perspectives of the business travel and commercial aviation industries,” said ACTE President, Kurt Knackstedt. “Whether addressing issues in Australia and New Zealand, or throughout the world, ACTE and CAPA have the expertise, the data, and the resources to make things happen. Things like traveller centricity, new KPIs for travel managers and suppliers, technological advances and new philosophies regarding business travel. Others claim to take the pulse of the industry. We set it.” 

The one-day sessions will combine presentations on the state of the airline market – still a major cost centre for corporate travel managers – with discussions about travel technology, industry developments such as disruption and distribution changes, and advice on hot topics like duty of care.

Peter Harbison, Executive Chairman of CAPA, said, “We are delighted to be expanding our successful relationship with ACTE. CAPA recognises that different regions face different challenges and opportunities, so the programmes will blend global issues and local concerns. For example, in Canberra, we’ll be looking at the Whole of Government travel arrangements and the increasingly important SME sector, the Brisbane session will examine leverage opportunities for smaller accounts, and our Perth event will explore recovery from the travel downturn,” Harbison explains.

The sessions are geared towards senior executives from across Australasia’s corporate travel community – buyers, suppliers and intermediaries alike. The content will range from high-level discussions about the impact of global trends to hands-on travel management advice aimed at upskilling travel buyers and managers and preparing them for the ever-changing environment they face. Challenges such as dealing with the growth of the sharing economy, identified by delegates in 2016 as a priority, will be among the topics explored next year.

CAPA will provide its authoritative analysis of the aviation market. The events will also include sessions on travel technology, expense management, travel programme optimisation and change management, drawing on the expertise of leading travel buyers and key suppliers as well as trusted advisors and consultants.

One of the highlights will be a duty of care simulation, prepared by a market-leading global supplier, which will help expose any vulnerabilities in current travel programmes and provide advice on how to plug the holes.

Buyers that have attended CAPA-ACTE events this year include Accenture, Aga Khan University, AGL Energy, Allianz Insurance Australia, ALS Global, ANZ, APNIC, Arcadis, Aristocrat, Arup, Asahi Beverages, Asciano, Aurizon, Ausco, Bank of Queensland, Bayer, Beca, Boral Limited, BP, Capgemini, Citi, Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Clifford Chance, Clyde & Co, Cochlear Limited, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Compass Group, Corrs Chambers Westgarth Lawyers, Credit Union Australia, CUA, Deloitte Access Economics, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Department for Communities and Social Inclusion, Department of Environment, Water & Natural Resources, Department of Finance, Services & Innovation, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Elders Rural Services Australia, ElectraNet, Electrolux Home Products, Elwin Media, Enermech, EPS Group Australia, Ernst & Young, ESCO, F&P Healthcare, Fairfax Media, Fisher & Paykel, Fletcher Building, Fonterra Co-operative Group, Fortescue Metals Group, Golder Associates, HSBC Bank Australia, IBM, IKEA Australia, IRI Australia Pty Ltd, John Holland Group, JP Morgan, KPMG Australia, Landcare Research, LinkedIn, Macquarie Group, Mana Communications, Mars, Meridian Energy, Metcash, Microsoft, Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, Mitsubishi Australia, MSD, NAB, NARTA, New Zealand Defence Force, NPS MedicineWise, NSW Government, NSW Procurement, Office of Finance & Services, NZ Herald, Optus, Oracle Corporation, Orica, Origin Energy, Orion Health, Parmalat, Pfizer Global Procurement, Powerlink Queensland, PricewaterhouseCoopers. ProMag Publishing, Prosegur Australia, Q Super, QBE Insurance, QGC, QIC, Queensland University of Technology, Raytheon Australia, RCR Tomlinson, REA Group, Redpath Mining, Rio Tinto, Riverside Marine, RMIT University, SA Health, Salesforce.com, Siemens, Smith & Nephew, Smith & Smith, Stallergenes, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, State of Flux, Suncorp, Swinburne University of Technology, Syngenta Australia, The Reject Shop, Todd Corporation.com, Toll Group, Tonkin + Taylor, Toyota Motor Corporation Australia, Twitter Australia, Uniting, University of Adelaide, University of Auckland, University of New South Wales, University of New South Wales Canberra, University of Queensland, University of Technology Sydney, Vector, Vermeer, Vodafone, Western Sydney University, Westpac, WorleyParsons Service, Zimmer Biomet and many more.

For more information on the 2017 CAPA-ACTE Corporate Travel event schedule, visit: www.capaevents.com/corporate